Govt. Audit report reveals SLC ticket blunder at T20 World Cup
Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) entourage at last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia had enjoyed free entrance tickets to matches that were allocated to its national players, a Special Audit regarding the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 reveals.
The final report which was handed over to the Speaker this week by the National Audit Office exposed glaring financial and procedural irregularities as SLC took a busload of its Executive Committee members and staff and issued visa support letters to their families and friends.
The audit, which was conducted on the recommendation of the Attorney General’s Department, finds SLC bigwigs have not only shared the tickets given by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for players among themselves, but also left unused a number of tickets including 76 that they purchased for the semi-finals and final. These tickets alone were worth Rs.3,582,646.00.
According to the report, a copy of which the Sunday Times is in possession, the ICC allocated 125 ordinary tickets and 20 ‘complimentary hospitality tickets’ for each team during the first round and another 155 ordinary tickets and 20 complimentary hospitality tickets during the semi-final onwards.
Out of the 100 complimentary tickets received, only 69 were given to the team manager out of which only three tickets have been given to the players while 51 tickets were shared among support staff, executive committee members and other individuals.
“Furthermore, although all these tickets received for the players should be provided to the players in respect of their relatives and friends, as stated by Mr. (Mahinda) Halangoda only three (3) out of the 69 tickets had been provided to the players,” the report reads.
“Accordingly (sic) had been informed the fact that out of the 66 remaining tickets, 38 tickets were distributed among executive committee members and seven (7) tickets were distributed among the officers of the Sri Lanka Cricket. Further 12 tickets were provided to other individuals and the remaining nine (9) tickets were destroyed.”
The report says that SLC also purchased 150 tickets for the semi-finals and finals spending Rs.8,747,960.00 but 76 tickets remained unused. Out of the 74 tickets distributed, the lion’s share had been for SLC President Shammi Silva, who received 54 tickets worth Rs.3,597,771.00.
The audit reveals that SLC has spent Rs.68,237,263 to give 14 Executive Committee members an ‘all-expenses paid holiday’ to watch cricket down under. The costs includes business class travel for office bearers, economy class tickets for other members of the executive committee and per diems amounting to US$700 a day up to 10 days.
The audit also questions the remittance of US$20,000 to an Australian account to sponsor five over-50 cricketers for the Sri Lanka Over-50s Cricket Tournament held in 2022; failure to follow procurement guidelines in the purchase of tickets’ issuance of visa support letters to non-SLC individuals; and the spending over Rs.5.5mn to send four journalists to cover the Cricket World Cup.
The Auditor General states that SLC is not a volunteer organisation controlled by a constitution that has been passed, similar to a society established for a common requirement or objective: “The Sri Lanka Cricket cannot be regarded as a voluntary organisation or association capable of deviating from the government regulating process or financial oversight of Parliament. Accordingly, this entity is observed as one that cannot be operated based on the preference and discretion of the executive committee nor it can override the government’s regulations.”
The Auditor General has recommended taking legal action against those who “have caused financial disadvantages or damaged the reputation of the Sri Lanka Cricket and the Government of Sri Lanka, and initiating legal proceedings against them”.
It also recommended the amending of the Sports Law “in order for relevant annual reports to be presented to the Parliament thereby strengthening the control of Parliament over all if the national sports associations and authorising such associations to be summoned to the Committees,”.